“The average UK person has 57 unworn items in their wardrobe: our love of new clothes is out of control”

We all like it, don’t we? The feeling of a new pair of jeans. The pleasure of a crisp new t-shirt. The drape of a new dress. Going shopping and seeing ourselves again in a new outfit is one of the best experiences we can buy.

And it’s so easy to do because any number of stores will sell it to us. High street shops with their colorful, stylish or cool windows, or online retailers promising us to look just like the taller, slimmer and fitter models on the screen. So we buy new things and they make us feel great!

The problem is, humans being humans, we don’t know when to stop. Take a quick look in your wardrobe or drawers: how many items of clothing do you own? British shoppers buy more clothes than anyone else in Europe. Oxfam estimates that the average person in the UK owns an average of 57 items of unworn clothing.

The fashion industry has a dirty secret: it is responsible for between 8-10% of all global carbon emissions. Cotton also uses about 215 trillion liters of water per year, synthetic fabrics such as polyester and nylon use 350 million barrels of oil and 43 million tons of chemicals are used each year to dye and treat fabrics.

A decade ago, it was estimated that 100 billion garments were manufactured each year. That was before the explosion in demand for cheap and fast fashion from retailers like Boo Hoo and Shein. Not only are their designs rich in plastics that will of course never break down, but their fast product turnover means that up to 40% of their stock never makes it to stores or online. It goes straight to the landfill.

Huge piles of clothes are thrown in countries like Ghana, Kenya, Chile, Tanzania and Cambodia. These landfills leak huge amounts of methane as natural fabrics rot, while synthetic fabrics become permanent sources of microplastic pollution. Sometimes the clothes are burned, polluting both the air and the land.

And of course, the fashion industry is notorious for its very poor human rights record, largely trapping female workers in low-paying and insecure jobs.

So how can we avoid contributing to this problem? Well, like most climate solutions, the first thing to do is reduce demand. A good test before buying something is to ask yourself: will I wear this item 30 times? Dig through your wardrobe and see if you can uncover some things you’ve forgotten. Exchange or donate items you will never wear again.

Avoid sites that sell clothes at too-good-to-be-true prices – there’s no doubt that the clothes they sell are particularly guilty of exploiting both people and the planet.

It takes practice and self-discipline to resist the power of the advertising machine that’s always trying to sell us something new, but it’s a practice the planet will thank you for.

This Week’s Easy Action: The next time you need a mood booster, why not try something pre-loved instead of brand new? Charity shops and second-hand designer shops are everywhere, or try sites like Vinted, Vestiaire, Re-Fashion, Depop and Thrift. You often end up with a more unique look this way. And what could be better than reducing carbon emissions?